Ariadne's Thread on Ethical Relativism
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John Speaking
Believe me, I have the same concern you have.

But I'm not sure you are giving the relativist quite enough credit. If Hitler claimed to reached a wide reflective equilibrium, the relativist could still challenge some of his scientific claims -- such as the claims he would make about different races of people. The relativist could still say that Hitler's claims about the different intelligence or different moral characters of different races are empirically false.

And in the worst case, in which we admit that rational argument has come to an end, the relativist is not bound to tolerate or avoid interference with Hitler's actions. He can still pass judgment on Hitler's acts and take action.

And let me say one more thing. The possibility of two different reflective equilibria may simply be a fact that we must accept and live with. I can't say I like it any more than you do, but that may not matter. Perhaps it is simply part of the human condition.


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